CLEVELAND -- First they broke the Magic's spirit. Now they've broken their hearts.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have beaten teams soundly all season, but not the way they've treated the Orlando Magic.
LeBron James scored 29 points and Kevin Love had 10 points and 13 rebounds in Cleveland's 104-79 victory over Orlando for its 13th consecutive win in the series.
It has dealt the Magic their three worst losses this season, the last two by an average of 30 points. The Cavaliers have also given Orlando its worst home and road losses of the season.
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"We didn't compete," Magic coach Scott Skiles said. "We're playing like we have no heart."
Center Tristan Thompson had 10 points and 12 rebounds and guard Kyrie Irving scored 13 points for Cleveland, which has won its last three games. Orlando has dropped consecutive games by double figures for the first time this season.
The Cavaliers led the Magic by 40 points three weeks ago at Amway Center and led Saturday by 31 in the third and fourth quarters.
"A team like that, the way they beat us last time I'm sure they feel like if they come out and play well early and get on top of us, they can get a lead and maybe coast to the end," Skiles said. "That's basically exactly what happened."
Forward Aaron Gordon scored 11 points and guards Mario Hezonja and Shabazz Napier each had 10 points for Orlando, all off the bench.
Cleveland built a 55-32 lead at halftime, a season low in points for the Magic in a half, and Cleveland was never really threatened, allowing the starters to rest the entire fourth quarter.
James has struggled with his jump shot most of the season, but he said before the game he thought he found something on film he could correct. He has put in extra work before the last few games and responded by making 11 of 18 from the field, including 4 of 7 3-pointers.
"You're just trying to find a rhythm," James said. "I've definitely been putting in extra work as of late, just trying to get my shot back, get my legs back under me. Get my balance and my base and it's resulted in me shooting the ball well from the perimeter the last couple games. So for me, I've got to continue to work my habits and put in the work and live with the results."
James outscored the Magic's starting five 29-20 after nearly doing it in the Cavaliers' last game, too. He scored 34 points compared to the Denver Nuggets' 35 from their starters Tuesday.
The Magic committed five fouls while Cleveland was shooting 3-pointers. The final could've been more lopsided, but the Cavaliers were 24 of 39 from the free-throw line.
"For some reason that I don't know, we just struggle against the Cavs," Fournier said. "We just have no answer for them. It's not a question of skills or anything. It's just heart."
Irving, still working his way back from offseason knee surgery, was 4 of 12 from the field and missed all four of his 3-point attempts. His first 3-point shot was an air ball. More important, he went diving headfirst into an empty row of seats chasing a loose ball and came away unscathed.
"That was just me being me," Irving said. "I'm just glad I got up."
Irving never regretted diving head first and said he banged his surgically-repaired knee in the process. But Irving referenced athletes talking all the time about their breakthrough moments following surgery. Diving into the chairs was his.
"There was a gasp of air but not only my teammates and staff but also everyone in the building and for me, too," he said. "That was the moment for me. That was the one. It was one of those moments that I'm glad I went through and I got out the way. Now it's full steam ahead."
NOTES: F LeBron James passed Tiny Archibald (6,476) for 21st place on the league's career assists list. G J.R. Smith's 3-pointer gave him 1,529 for his career, moving him past Nick Van Exel for 22nd place. ... Cleveland coach David Blatt has struggled settling on a rotation with a fully healthy roster. "Guys gotta understand -- and I've told them this -- only so many guys can play," he said. "That's just the reality of the limitations of the game. Some guys may find themselves, for no other reason other than that, not playing many minutes or not playing at all -- not because they're not good enough or they're not doing their job. It's the reality of how many guys you can play and what the situation is on the floor." ... The Magic began the night with 12 games decided by five points or less (5-7 record) and a league-leading nine games decided by three points or less (4-5).
